Page 41 of Kiwi

Kiwi

The entire flight to Vegas was done in silence, hearing nothing but the plane's engines. What more could we say? The six of us know we are walking into the situation completely blind. Cowboy also arranged for us to have an SUV on standby as soon as we land.

The moment the tires hit the tarmac, my blood is pumping from a sudden rush of adrenaline. We are all on our feet before the plane comes to a stop. As soon as the door opens, we file out, sprinting to the nearby hanger where our vehicle is waiting. We traveled light, meaning nothing but the clothes on our back and weapons concealed beneath our cuts.

"I'll drive," I call out, and jump behind the steering wheel.

As anxious as I am—as we all are, I keep to the speed limit. We don't want to draw unwanted attention. I weave the SUV in and out of traffic. "Come on." My grip tightens on the steering wheel every time we hit a red light. I'd forgotten how bad traffic is here in Vegas.

Finally, I see the hotel Piper is staying at up ahead. I also scope out a few guards milling about outside. I pull into the parking lot and bring the SUV to a halt right beside the valet parking stand. Riggs turns in his seat, addressing us. "The last thing we want is trouble with hotel security. Let's get information without causing a scene. Everest, stay with the vehicle, and keep it runnin' in case we happen to run into any trouble." Wasting no time, my brothers and I exit the vehicle, brushing passed the valet attendee.

Onlookers judgmental stares fall on us as we stroll into the luxury hotel and make our way to the front desk. With wide eyes, the woman behind the counter greets us. "Welcome. How can I help you, gentlemen, today?"

"I need the room number for Jia Kook," Nova steps up.

Her eyes dart between us men. Not sure what to make of a bunch of bikers. "Um, I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not allowed to give you that information." Nova stiffens, and I can tell he is hanging on by a thread. He looks down at her nametag. "Callie, listen. I need to check on my daughter." He keeps his voice calm.

Callie blinks several times. "I could lose my job." She appears conflicted on what to do, but nervous to refuse our demand. She clears her throat and starts typing at her keyboard, her eyes lifting briefly to see if a coworker is nearby. She steps away, only to return, holding a key card in her hand. "I hope you enjoy your stay." She hands the card to Nova. Slightly leaning forward, she whispers, "I hope your daughter is okay."

A short ride up the elevator to the fifth floor, we rush down the hallway, stopping at the end, where suite 150 is located. The first thing we notice is the do not disturb sign hanging on the door handle. Nova bangs on the door first, getting no answer before slipping the key card into the slot. The lock disengages, and he slowly pushes the door open.One by one, we cautiously enter the room. The luxury suite is a decent size. Riggs gives the signal for us to spread out and investigate. I walk across the living room, take in the half-eaten takeout sitting on the coffee table, before striding into one of the bedrooms. The smell of honey and jasmine hits me the moment I step into the room and immediately realize it's Piper's suite. In a chair, near the bed, is her open suitcase, and draped across the back of the chair a red dress. Finding nothing to suggest foul play, I turn on my heels, heading back to the living room, where I find my brothers. "Anyone find anything?" I ask as I continue to make a sweep of the suite.

"Not a damn thing. This uneaten food has been sitting there for more than a day," Wick observes. His eyes scan the room as he walks to the floor to ceiling window, with a view overlooking the famous Vegas strip. He whistles. "Damn. Her friend must be loaded to score a room like this."

"Let's sweep the entire hotel. I want each floor searched. The bar, swimming pool—everything," Riggs orders, then he faces me. "Find a way to get access to the hotel security camera feed. Comb through it. If you find anything suspicious, I want to know."

"You got it." As we are about to leave, something on the floor catches my eye. Just beneath the table in the small foyer lays a black business card. My heart begins to beat rapidly, and my palms become clammy. Bending, I pluck it from the floor. Righting myself, I flip the card over. My jaw clenches as I stare at the gold embossed VIP lettering and an address. All the blood drains from my face, and my gut plummets to my feet. Suddenly I'm back in Donovan's penthouse, holding a stack of cards, getting ready to hit all the local hotspots.

"Kiwi, what the hell is the hold-up?" I hear Riggs through the haze. Pulling myself together, I look at my brother and give him the card. Pushing all other feelings aside, I allow rage to fill the void. He looks at it, then back at me. His face falls. "Change of plans." He calls over his shoulder to those already in the hallway, and they rush back inside. Riggs hands the card to Wick, and he too understands what it might mean.

"Let's roll."

"Someone needs to tell me what the fuck is going on," Nova demands once the elevator door closes, and we descend. Wick hands the business card to him, and Nova reads it.

"That card looks identical to the ones Donovan would have me hand out when he hosted his parties." Nova and I lock eyes. He knows all about Donovan Black, so there is no need for me to explain. I would only be rehashing the same worries I had when I found out Piper was coming to Vegas a few days ago.

"Keep it together, brother," Riggs tells Nova. "It's not lookin' good, but, for Piper's sake, we need to keep calm. Let's get our asses to the address on that card and find answers."

Not one of us says a word as we exit the hotel. We find Everest right where we left him, next to the SUV.

It takes us nearly thirty minutes to get through traffic until we are traveling a winding road. When we left the hotel, Riggs placed a call to Cowboy, explaining our current situation. "They haven't gotten any red flags in this area for some time, but the commander is getting us the intel he has," Riggs states, as I roll to a stop in front of a million-dollar mansion. The front door swings open, and a young man, who looks to be in his twenties, steps out.

"This is private property."

Before he can take another step in our direction, I have my weapon pulled and aimed at his head. "Inside." His hands rise in the air as he takes a step back. Riggs orders Everest and Fender to case the outside for any threat. The door slams shut behind us as we step inside.

"Chris, where the fuck are you. The boss called. He wants…" the man behind the voice walks into the foyer. The moment he sees the gun aimed at his friend's head, he reaches inside the suit jacket he is wearing and pulls out a gun. Nova aims, a single shot rings out, and the guy's knees buckle, sending him to the floor. The weapon in his right-hand clatters as it skids across the marble tile, and blood pools beneath his body.

"Shit, man. You fucking killed him," the scared prick I have in my crosshair's bellows.

"Who else is in the house?" I back him up against the wall and press the cold hard barrel of my gun into his eye socket."

"No one, no one. I fucking swear."

Wick moves forward, with his weapon drawn to check out the rest of the home. Nova steps to my side and shoves the business card we found in the punk's face. "Someone gave this to a couple of girls." Then Nova takes out his phone and pulls up a recent picture of Piper. The guy tries turning his head, looking away. Grabbing a fist full of his hair, I slam the back of his head against the wall.

"Look at her face, you piece of shit," I order.

"Maybe she was here last night, man. I don't know." His voice trembles a little, but there's a hint of arrogance present.